LaVine has been on the trading market for a long, long time, before DeRozan. But DeRozan has been playing for the Kings for half a season, while LaVine is still playing for the Bulls.

As early as the 2023 offseason, because of the team's poor record and the fact that LaVine did not play as expected in the first year after signing a big contract, the two sides had the idea of parting. First, the Bulls were tempting, and then LaVine simply expressed his willingness to "cooperate" with the team to trade, which was considered a disguised application for a trade.

But LaVine's contract at the time was too big, and in 2022, LaVine agreed to a five-year, $215 million contract extension with the Bulls. LaVine has a salary of $46 million for the '25-26 season and has a $49 million player option for the '26-27 season. So it's almost impossible to sell Lavin without losing money.

Last season, LaVine's relationship with the Bulls completely deteriorated. LaVine played in just 25 games all season, averaging just 19.5 points per game. When LaVine was reimbursed for the surgery season, the Bulls hinted that it was LaVine's team's own decision.

In the 2024 offseason, the Bulls continued to peddle LaVine. But a LaVine who has just been reimbursed for the injured season, and a LaVine who is still on a three-year contract, are about as difficult to sell as the Suns' Beal, and no one cares about the Bulls sticking a first-rounder.

In December, a reporter said that almost no team was eager to get LaVine. Rumors of a swap between LaVine and Porter Jr. spread for a while, and eventually it didn't go away, and I really can't think of a reason why the Nuggets needed LaVine.

But who would have thought that Lavin, who has been disgusted by the trading market for so long, has an impressive trend recently. In yesterday's win over the Clippers, LaVine scored 35 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 5-of-12 three-pointers. The ability to score in crunch time is still on the line.

After some ups and downs at the start of the season, LaVine has been playing better and better since Christmas. After Christmas, LaVine averaged 28.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 54 percent from the field, 48 percent from three-point range and 81 percent from the free throw line.

So far this season, LaVine has played 39 games and his attendance has risen. He averaged 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, shooting more than 50% from the field and 45% from three-point range, which made his true shooting percentage soar to 63.9%, the highest in his career so far.

LaVine's state has picked up, and naturally it has also pulled his market trend, at least now it looks like the Bulls don't have to sell at a loss. Of course, LaVine's strength is still there, his offensive ability with the ball is first-class in the league, allowing him to play without the ball, his air cutting and receiving three-point are also very threatening, and the slightly worse defensive end is actually not particularly bad.

Of course, LaVine has also proved over the years that the ceiling of the team with him as the core is not too high, and his injury history is also a minus. But if LaVine is just a second or third leader of the team, a pure attacker who doesn't possess the ball, his offensive firepower won't disappoint you. Don't forget, LaVine will only turn 30 in March this year, and he has not yet entered the age of decline.

The biggest change for the Bulls this year is that they have increased their offensive tempo and now average the second-highest number of rounds per game in the league, behind only the Grizzlies, who are the fastest in the league. LaVine's recovery this year is also due to the team's fast play, and he himself is comfortable in such a rhythm.

It's not that LaVine has to go, but now it seems that his relationship with the Bulls and Donovan has eased, and the two sides can make do with it. But if you want to trade LaVine, this is probably the best time in the last two years.

The Bulls also have objective reasons for wanting to trade LaVine, and the team itself is in a semi-rebuilt state, and Vucevic has been publicly selling it for a long time. The Bulls are now 19-25 and ranked 10th in the East, such an embarrassing position, it is difficult to get up.

One of the Bulls' big goals this season is to keep their draft pick this year, and if they don't pick in the top 10 this year, then that pick will go to the Spurs. This year is a big year for the draft, and the top 10 picks are something the Bulls must strive for. So there are more reasons to sell Lavin.

The Warriors are actually quite suitable for LaVine, and this season, the Warriors' offensive level has fallen to outside the top 20 in the league, and LaVine's firepower is very much needed. But the Warriors don't have too good a chip either, unless they're willing to get out of Kuminga? Compared to Vucevic who has been passing, LaVine is the Bulls player who is more suitable for the Warriors.

In June 2017, LaVine was traded by the Timberwolves to the Bulls, and in the blink of an eye, almost eight years have passed. The Bulls are bound to be the team LaVine has been with the longest in his career, and no one doesn't like the story of a team that has been the same for the rest of his life, but everything can be as good as it gets.